Last month, the Science Museum of Minnesota buzzed with excitement as young tech creators from across the country came together for Coolest Projects USA in a celebration of creativity, curiosity, and coding.

Around 40 young people showcased their projects on the day, sharing their work with friends, family, and the wider coding community. With hands-on tech activities, project demonstrations, fun swag, and certificates of achievement, the day was packed with energy and enthusiasm.

Coolest Projects is all about empowering young people to show off what they’ve built, no matter their skill level or experience. From first-time coders to budding engineers, everyone was welcomed and learnt something from the day.

Celebrating impact: Broadcom Foundation Coding with Commitment® 

One of the standout moments was the presentation of the Broadcom Foundation Coding with Commitment® special recognition, which highlights a project that uses code to solve real-world problems.

The award went to Kaila for her project, Car vs Road, a self-driving car simulation designed to explore how natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes might impact autonomous vehicle technology.

“My project was inspired by Waymo. After hearing about Coolest Projects through the Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair, I decided to attend — and absolutely loved it! The atmosphere was welcoming, the judges were so involved, and the entire experience was truly unforgettable.” – Kaila, 2025 Coding with Commitment® recipient 

Broadcom Foundation’s partnership with Coolest Projects USA highlights how coding can be a powerful tool for tackling global challenges, from health to climate change, and champions digital literacy for all youth.

Celebrating creativity across categories

With seven categories available for entries, the judges had their work cut out for them choosing their favourite projects. Here are some that captured their attention on the day:

Mila | Sports Compilation, Scratch

Mila’s project, Sports Compilation, tells a story through animated sports scenes that inspire people to try new things and embrace their rebellious side.

“I wanted to show my mom that I could code — even though I’m not a ‘full-time coder’. I kept working on my original sports scene and added more to create something bigger.”

“My biggest challenge was making it reset automatically. At first, I didn’t understand the instructions I found online, but then I figured out how to use timing and broadcasts to make it work.”

“Coolest Projects was so fun, my teacher hyped it up, and it lived up to the excitement!”

Ethan | Coding AI to Enhance Speech Therapy

Ethan’s project was inspired by his experience with speech therapy. He used machine learning to help people identify and correct different types of incorrect pronunciations of the /s/ sound. Ethan shared his motivations behind attending:

“I went to Coolest Projects USA to get the opportunity to present my work and receive feedback from a large audience of judges, participants, and other viewers on how to improve my project and the presentation of it.”

“I had fun at Coolest Projects USA, seeing the different ways that young people like me are taking advantage of technology to try and help the lives of others, and also seeing the creativity and determination that we have.”

A big thank you

We want to say a huge thank you to every young creator who presented a project, to the families who cheered them on, and to our amazing volunteers and partners. We also want to give a special shoutout to our sponsors, Broadcom Foundation and Best Buy Inc., for their incredible support. We couldn’t have done it without you. 

Thank you for making Coolest Projects USA 2025 such a special day!

There’s still time to get involved with Coolest Projects this year…

If you missed the event or are feeling inspired, there are still ways to join the Coolest Projects global community!

• The online Coolest Projects showcase is open for entries from young people anywhere in the world. Entries close 28 May.
• Coolest Projects UK takes place in Bradford on 17 May. Come along and discover what young people are creating. 

Partner events are held around the world — head to the Coolest Projects website to find out more.